This invention relates to products, for example, antiperspirants and deodorants, that are topically applied to the skin.
Antiperspirant and deodorant compositions are well known personal care products. The compositions come in a variety of forms and may be formulated, for example, into aerosols, pumps, sprays, liquids, roll-ons, lotions, creams, and sticks (both hard and soft), etc.
There are various types of stick antiperspirant compositions. In one type, an antiperspirant salt is suspended in an anhydrous vehicle often including a solid water-insoluble wax. In a second type, an antiperspirant salt is dissolved in a liquid vehicle such as propylene glycol and gelled with a gelling agent such as dibenzylidene sorbitol. A third type includes an emulsion of an aqueous phase containing the antiperspirant salt and an oil phase containing, for example, a volatile silicone, fragrances, gellants, and other additives.
Stick antiperspirant products include an antiperspirant composition within a container. During use of the product, the top of the container is removed and the application surface of the composition is contacted with the underarm. Sometimes the product also includes an undercap, or factory seal, covering the application surface that is removed prior to first use. During use, some of the composition is transferred to the skin, and the container generally also includes some mechanism for moving the composition upwards through the container to continue to provide an exposed application surface.
Generally, the invention in one aspect relates to a product for application to the skin. The product includes a container having an open end and a non-flowable composition within the container. The product also includes a removable cap having a % opacity of less than 5%, preferably less than 3.5%, and more preferably less than 2.5%, that encloses the open end of the container and, as a result, the application surface. The composition has an application surface at the open end of the container. The application surface continuously wears away during application of the composition to the skin. The composition includes a cosmetic ingredient such as an antiperspirant salt, deodorant active ingredient, sunscreen, vitamin E, aloe, alphahydroxy acid, fragrance and/or a therapeutic ingredient such as a pharmaceutically active compound (e.g., anti-inflammatory agent, hair growth promoter or inhibitor, vitamin E, a alphahydroxy acid, etc.). xe2x80x9cNon-flowablexe2x80x9d, as used herein, means the composition does not flow out of the container when the container is inverted at room temperature. xe2x80x9cWithin the containerxe2x80x9d, as used herein, means that at least part of the composition is within the container.
In some embodiments, the application surface may include a visual pattern. The pattern may be, for example, a stripe having a different color or opaqueness than the surrounding application surface. xe2x80x9cDifferent colorxe2x80x9d as used herein, includes different shades of a color. White and black are considered colors.
In some embodiments the product also includes an undercap (also referred to as a factory seal) having a % opacity of less than 15%, preferably less than 12%, more preferably less than 10%, and most preferably less than 7%. In some embodiments the cap in combination with the undercap has a % opacity of less than 15%, preferably less than 12%, and more preferably less than 10%.
Using a cap and, in some embodiments, an undercap, with low % opacities, with a product including a visible pattern has the benefit of allowing a user to observe the pattern without removing the cap and (in some embodiments) the undercap. In addition, where the visible pattern functions as a usage indicator as described in U.S. Ser. No. 09/859,073, filed May 16, 2001, the cap allows observation of the usage indicator. The aforementioned application is owned by the same owner as the present application and its disclosure, in particular its disclosure of usage indicators, is hereby incorporated by reference.
In another aspect of the invention, the product includes an undercap having a visible pattern on its outer surface. The application surface of the composition may include the same or different pattern, or may include no pattern.
In another aspect of the invention, the product includes an undercap having a % opacity of less than 30%, preferably less than 20%, more preferably less than 15%, and most preferably less than 10%. The product may also include a removable cap.
In another aspect of the invention, the product includes a cap that in combination with the undercap has a % opacity of less than 30%, preferably less than 20%, more preferably less than 15%, and most preferably less than 10%.
To assess the degree of clarity of a cap or undercap, the BYK Gardner Color-Guide 45/0 (Catalog #LCB-6800), a hand-held spectrophotometer, is used. This instrument has a standard measurement function for % Opacity. The opacity measurement uses the L*a*b* color scale and is based on readings obtained when the material is placed in front of a black background versus a white background. Standard black and white color sheets from BYK Gardner (Catalog #LAR-3700) were used for the analyses. Measurements resulting in 100% opacity (0% clarity) indicate that there is no difference between the material with a black or white background. Therefore, no light passes through the material. Measurements resulting in 0% opacity indicate that all light passes through a material (therefore, 100% clarity). Generally, six replicate measurements are made; % opacity is the average of the six measurements.
Other features, objects, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description of the embodiment and from the claims.